[virtyak]

Hi, I need help with missing characters when using an external keyboard.
Kodi runs with me on a nvidia shield under android tv, an external Bluetooth keyboard (ec technology, a40-bt002) is connected (but also a logitech k280e via usb, same result) and delivers - thanks to extended keyboard helper app - on all apps on the shield (e.g.: file explorer, systemkeyboard input, mx-player, youtube, Google Play Store, DS video Synology, etc.) all German special characters like öäü € ° § but also many international special characters.

All apps is not quite correct: at Kodi (which otherwise runs on the shield really great and can be adapted very well to the needs of less technically oriented users), the keyboard does not show öäü or ÖÄÜ. ß is available, also the assignment of the German keyboard with y and z as well as special characters such as # + -_ <> are accessible according to the keyboard layout.

In the language settings of kodi I have configured language = german, region = germany, character set = standard and tataturbelegung = qwertz.

Almost arbitrary combinations of region, character set and key assignment I tried unsuccessfully

The keymapping addon does not help

I have tried with the extended keyboard helper many unicode keyboard codes, a large number of international special characters is displayed with all other apps, but not with kodi

Also the Cyrillic ü (0x04f1) in the unicode character set is not displayed

I also experimented with double token unicode, no result

The umlauts can be entered via the virtual keypad, and üäö & Co is also available via the "kore" remote control app.

The problem was discussed in another thread, but not followed up

I have searched here and in other forums diligently, some to umlaut and keyboard problems, but there was no suitable tip.

Has anyone found a solution for the problem? So far, i would assume that this problem is not to be solved by configuration, there could be need of developmental bugfixing.

[da-anda]

you need to run a third party Android app in order to be able to work with a german keyboard layout on the SHIELD? Need to test this.

[virtyak]

Hello da-anda,

please don't blame it on the keyboard tool "external keyboard handler" its a very well established tool over here in europe and it ist a quite good working swiss-knife because you´can force keyboards to send any sequenze you like. Preinstalled it sends windows 1252 keycode and that fits for 90 percent of android apps. I use it with nvidia shield, with Note 10.1 2014 Tablet and Note 4 Handy of Samsung as well as with machines from huawei. e.g.

Normaly the External Keybord Helper correctly displays the keyboard on the level of Android TV and can also be individually reconfigured for each key, if this doesn't fit in detail with an external keyboard. That works not only on system level keyboard input but also for many apps.

With Kodi it's different. Some keys like ß, z, y, #, -, *, etc. work correctly after installing the keyboard app but others dont, for example ü, ö, ä, è, € and other international characters. Without installing the keyboard driver , Kodi shows those special Characters, in positions, which do not correspond with the keyboard layout at all.

Most problematic are the european "Umlaute". For example, if the keyboard sends 0x00fc for "ü", nothing happens in a Kodi input field.

Perhaps some of you in the development crew with android focus could test to send Charcters respective their hex values like 0x00D0-DF, 0x00E0 - EF or 0x00F0 -FF to the system for example corresdponding with the global search field or other input fields in the configuration menues of Kodi .

There are a lot of users in Europe, who have detected this problem, they discuss it in european forums like kodinerds, hifi forum etc. Nevertheless there is no hint for a solution. Do you see any workaround or a chance to manage this artefact by bugfixing?

[da-anda]

you could provide a Debug Log in which you simply press non working chars. That way we'll see what char codes we get from Android.

[virtyak]

@da-anda: sorry, didn't see your question so far, was busy on other channels. Meanwhile, I've formulated a ticket in track, where I described the problem and snipped a part of the logging. See below:

For text input in kodi 17 rc4 an nvidia shield nougat i use an external bluetooth keyboard. The driver app External keyboard helper pro transcodes all special keys of the keyboard perfact in any other app i use. Only using kodi i miss öäü. Skin konfiguration regional is set to

Language: german Character set: western europe (windows) Keyboard layouts: german quertz

I tested a lot of other Configuration, nothig worked

When entering öäü for example if searching a video with the search function, nothing happens. Logging says

19:23:34.626 T:1571625248 DEBUG: ------ Window Init (DialogKeyboard.xml) ------ 19:23:34.627 T:1572669728 DEBUG: CAnnouncementManager - Announcement: OnInputRequested from xbmc 19:23:34.627 T:1572669728 DEBUG: GOT ANNOUNCEMENT, type: 128, from xbmc, message OnInputRequested 19:23:34.664 T:1697179936 DEBUG: ffmpeg[6528E920]: [swscaler] No accelerated colorspace conversion found from yuv420p to bgra. 19:23:47.957 T:1571625248 DEBUG: Keyboard: scancode: 0x42, sym: 0x000d, unicode: 0x000a, modifier: 0x0 19:23:48.097 T:1571625248 DEBUG: OnKey: return (0xf00d) pressed, trying keyboard action 7 19:23:48.097 T:1571625248 DEBUG: ------ Window Deinit (DialogKeyboard.xml) ------

[mpiet]

Did anybody find a solution for working German keyboard layout?
I am using kodi on an android TV and a Microsoft keyboard with usb dongle.

[mpiet]

I found the solution. I had to change my keyboard option in the android system settings to German. After that i got German letters in Kodi.